Holden Barina Problems

It's an electrical or electronic fault that's causing your car to go into the default limp home mode. It's not possible to say exactly what is wrong, do that you need to take the car to a mechanic and have them diagnose the problem on their equipment.

The relative complexity of today’s cars means that sometimes things happen that are difficult to explain, particularly if error codes aren’t showing up. It’s then a question of changing things until the cause is found, which it seems is what the dealer is doing.

The mileage is low for that model, which is a plus, but the price is about average for a private sale. It's not a bad buy, but if you could get the price down to $7000-$7500 it would be a much better deal. The Barina was criticized for it low safety rating when it was first launched but by MY11 it was four stars, which is pretty decent.

The Barina was only rated at 2-stars by the safety testing authority ANCAP. Holden upgraded the safety equipment in the Barina in 2008 and ANCAP raised it to a 4-star car. As you're thinking of buying for your daughter I would recommend you buy a 2008 or later model.

I can't imagine what would cause the brakes to lock on without touching the pedal. You could check the front suspension, alignment, wheel bearings etc.

You're right to be concerned about the safety of the 2007 Barina, it only had front airbags and ANCAP rated it only two stars. Side front airbags weren't made standard until November 2008, after which it was given a four-star rating. You would be much better off going for the later, safer, model. I also agree with your thinking about having him drive a manual, that way he'll be a more capable driver. Based on your assessment of the condition of the car you're considering it would be worth around $4500.

On the private market the value would be between $1000 and $4000, with five-door models worth more than three-door models. As yours has low kilometres and in good condition it would be valued towards the higher end of the price range.

None of the above. It's the Volkswagen Polo, which recently had a significant price cut, that gets The Tick from me.